A rotten Thursday!

[quijote]

I couldn't agree more. Even small doses of travel can really broaden and deepen a person's perspective.

And Foodie, what you say about Spain's history with the Moors is right on. Centuries ago, after the Christian reconquest of Iberia from Muslim control, the Spaniards and Portuguese tried to kick out most of the conquered Muslims, with disastrous results. Now, though Muslim immigration is a big issue, there is an attempt to assimilate Muslims instead of marginalize them. Spain is just too geographically and historically close to the Muslims to ignore or expel them.

It's worth noting, too, that southern Spain (Andalusia--closest to Morocco) is one of two regions in Spain where the conservative government suffered a major defeat. (The other region is northern Catalonia.) The conservatives won in Castile and in Galicia, but just barely; the margin was not enough to hand conservatives a victory.


[This message has been edited by quijote (edited 03-16-2004).]